1. Field of the Invention
The invention pertains to a split open dead end which holds the outer layers of a cable without damaging the core of the cable and is particularly suited for use with fiber optic cables while having uses with other types of cables.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Fiber optic composite cable is used to construct utility transmission lines. This replaces overhead ground wire for communications applications and further protects the phase conductor on the transmission line from lightning damage and short circuit conditions. The delicate optical fibers are housed and protected in a cavity within the central core of the cable. Smaller wire strands are wound spirally about the outer surface of the cable.
The installation, rigging and engagement of fiber optic cable, including the use of a "dead end", must be done in a way that does not put excessive stress on the delicate optical fibers within the cable. Otherwise the optical fibers are damaged.
One prior art technique of protecting the fiber optic cable during installation and rigging is to use layers of material to wrap the fiber optic cable. However, this is labor intensive.
Other techniques include bolt-tightened and similar mechanical techniques without appropriate inherent limitations wherein over-tightening can damage the fiber optical cable and under-tightening can result in a failure of the engagement.
Examples of prior art include U.S. Pat. No. 5,758,005 entitled "Anchor Device for an Optical Cable", issued on May 26, 1998 to Yoshida; U.S. Pat. No. 5,754,724 entitled "Fiber Optic Support Apparatus", issued on May 19, 1998 to Peterson et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,770,491 entitled "Dead End for Fiber Optic Shield Cable" issued on Sep. 13, 1988 to Champa et al.